30 Jun 2009

I am pleased and privileged to be the new CEO of the Australian Sports Commission. Sport holds such a unique place in the hearts and minds of people all across Australia. 

One needs to look no further than our local ovals, pools and fields on any given day of the week to understand that community sport is a vital part of the Australian sports system and our culture.

It is imperative that grass roots sport is accessible to everyone and I am proud of the work the ASC does with sport to make this happen across the nation.

In these challenging and somewhat uncertain times, sport has an even greater importance because of its ability to bring people together and its enormous social and health benefits.

In the coming months, the ASC is taking a lead role in gathering the research available to date and commissioning further work to understand the true value of sport.  Sharing and disseminating this information will be a priority for us.

We are seeing great achievements in the area of community sport, which is highlighted by the initiatives and stories in this newsletter.

For example, the Active After-school Communities program is coordinating a ‘Turning to Sport for Good Health’ campaign in partnership with Diabetes Australia. This campaign has the dual purpose of encouraging kids to get active and raising awareness of diabetes.

I would like to thank Diabetes Australia for working with us in using sport to send a very important health message across the nation.

We look forward to developing more partnerships with sports and the community to achieve a healthier, happier and more active Australia.